Coyote Woman's Journal

El Sol y La Luna Mask.....

2012-02-16T18:56:00.001-08:00

Here's an iconic image of Mexico--the sun and the moon. Un imagin iconico
de Mexico. I got the mask in Oaxaca years ago, but it is from Guerrero.
Compre la mascara en Oaxaca pero viene de Guerrero.

Flamenco

2012-02-11T09:40:00.000-08:00

Flamenco #1---Gouache study by Mitzi Linn

This is a study for paintings about flamenco, one of my favorite dance forms.

"Angel's Song" by Mitzi Linn

2012-01-26T07:48:00.000-08:00

Music and Artwork (c) Mitzi Linn,1974 and 2012

My latest video with me singing and playing a song I wrote in the 1970's. I uploaded paintings I made since 1990, making them panoramas with iPhoto--that gives the full screen effect with double images.

Angel was a real person in my life at Wolf Creek. Her flip out and then healing affected many of us, her friends and commune mates. The story called "Angela's Metamorphosis" on my other blog Wild Wisdom Highway tells a more complete story. There's a link on this blog with my photo reading Tarot many years ago at the Oregon Country Fair.

Earthblankets--new paintings

2012-01-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

Earthblanket #1 gouache painting by Mitzi Linn 15"x 18" for sale.

Earthblanket # 2 new gouache painting by Mitzi Linn.....8"x 18" For sale.

It feels good to be creating some new work now in the new year. I hope you enjoy this post. Wishing all the best in 2012.

Welcome to 2012

2012-01-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

An ancient statue of a Zapotec woman embodying a goddess. It was on the cover of a Mexicana airlines magazine some years ago. Another find in my image archives. She's ceramic with red paint. It's a common color called cochinea made from tiny insects that feed on cactus in Mexico. The Zapotecs started Mt Alban around 500BC in the Oaxaca Valley. They inhabited the valley for thousands of years before that. They used hieroglyphics like other ancient cultures in the Americas and the Middle East. Lucky for us the Zapotecs still live in their original homeland.

Happy Holiday Card by Holly Haas

2011-12-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

I wish everyone holidays filled with contentment and joy. And a productive, healthful, and fun 2012. May all beings have the causes for happiness. Hugs

Felice Navidad a todos y un Prospero Ano Nuevo. Que reciben todos la paz, la alegria, y el bienestar y divertismo......Abrazos.

Homage to the Virgin of Guadelupe on December 12

2011-12-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

"Guadelupe the Corn Dancer" by Mitzi Linn.
May she protect and bless all of us.

Here she is the pre-conquest goddess dancing the sacred corn in a hand woven huipil. On the new moon and with some sacred flowers from before the espanoles.

Fireworks-man dancing with exploding toro of paper mache in Oaxaca fiesta

2011-12-05T16:35:00.001-08:00

A little light for the dark times here in El Norte!

Winter scenes in New Mexico

2011-11-24T12:22:00.001-08:00

Water color painting by Fran Larsen entitled "Camino de Farolitos" 1995. Note the luminarias by the gate and on the roof tops. I really love her work. She painted the frames too to be part of the whole piece.

Photos from northern New Mexico in the winter. Enjoy. From postcards and other sources.

Luminarias at an ancient American kiva. The luminaria tradition lights the way along highways, and streets and roads in New Mexico around Christmas. I remember them along the highway between Santa Fe and Taos the year I spent Christmas there. It's Spanish in origin and in this calendar photo, staged I think at Bandalier Natl Monument.

Sanctuario de Chimayo in northern New Mexico.

A door in a wall in Santa Fe during the winter.

Taos Pueblo in winter. Photo by Scott Fields. One of the oldest settled places of this continent. Taos Pueblo is a bit north of the town, which is really charming too.

Las Chinas de Oaxaca

2011-11-04T13:55:00.000-07:00

I lifted this cheerful foto from Oaxaca Turismo. The regional dances are enchanting and varied.

Time Passes .....celebrating el Dia de Los Muertos

2011-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Photo by Antonio Turok, "Dia de los Muertos" 1976 in Mexico. Where I live these days has a few gentlemen who look like the guy in foto. Time passes, but death never dies.

Family altar in Huatla de Jimenez, the Mazatec area of Oaxaca, taken in 1976

Some photos from Artes de Mexico's edition on Day of the Dead from 1993.

Creating altars, decorating graves and making a ritual are all arts related to the celebration of Day of the Dead, or Todos Santos.

Day of the Dead Art Suite

2011-10-16T14:36:00.000-07:00

"Flying Muertos" gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

I just created a new post to share some images from my Day of the Dead experiences. I tucked away the art cards from shows in Oaxaca for later enjoyment, like now!!!

Scroll down to see art from La Mano Magica's exhibitions.

Day of the Dead Art from Oaxaca

2011-10-16T13:53:00.000-07:00

Lithograph by Maximino Javier "Sin Titulo" 1995 Day of the Dead Show at La Mano Magica in Oaxaca. I really like Max's sense of humor!

Papel Picado by Mauricio Bonilla for a show at La Mano Magica. Let's join them in the dance!!!!

Silkscreen print by Juan Mariano Testera for the Day of the Dead show at La Mano Magica in 1993. Part of the announcement card of the show. Saludos a Juan Mariano.....

Watercolor by Kate Corbett, "Viva Mexico" from Day of the Dead show at La Mano Magica in 1990. One of my favorites. Saludos a Kate......

Painting by Felipe Morales " El Segundo Yo" in La Mano Magica's Day of the Dead show 1990. A favorite of mine. Saludos a Felipe.....

Karen Turtles grave in the Teotitlan Del Valle cemetery in 1993, decorated by Mitzi and Montano Familia. Photo by Arnulfo Mendoza at night on Nov 2. In memory of my friend Karen. Decorating graves is an art in Oaxaca and all of Mexico. El Dia de los Muertos o Todos Santos is my favorite Mexican holiday. Little by little it is arriving here in El Norte. (Gracias a los migrants de los ambos paises.)

I wanted to share some images from Oaxaca. These shows and artists inspired me to paint and make a series about the Day of the Dead. I hope you enjoy their work. Saludos a todos los difuntos y antipasados de todos de nosotros. Y los vivos tambien.....

May the Virgin of Guadelupe guide your way--Safe Journeys

2011-09-27T15:57:00.000-07:00

--
Art card by Judy Perry of Bisbee, AZ. Check out her website. www.judyperrybisbee.com I was lucky to meet her when I lived in Bisbee. I met her through another woman friend, Mary Walker, a massage therapist there. Thanks universe, and blessings to them.

Today's observation

Clouds hang over the valley,
little rain but then no sun either.....
O..O.........
Winter hangs out on my mind's edges....
If I blow really hard,
can I move the clouds away and bring the sun?.....

What is better, myth or everyday life?
I witness the Fall from summer's grace and warmth..
Adam and Eve find apples under a wild tree.....
They make mythic applesauce.
We'll eat that applesauce later.

copyright Mitzi Linn

Orygen Menla

2011-08-24T19:29:00.001-07:00

An image of Tibetan Guru Rinpoche as a healing Buddha.
"Om A Hung Vajra Guru Pema Siddhi Hung"

2011-08-13T07:59:00.000-07:00

Gouache paintings by Mitzi Linn.....Combined images of "Horse Lovers" and "Horse Women go Swimming".

Though I don't seem to go swimming much these summers, I always associate summer with swimming. These paintings are summer offerings. They are small paintings and for sale individually.

Adam and Eve Visit Santa Fe, New Mexico

2011-05-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

Vacationing in Santa Fe, A and E communicate with a feathered serpent in a tree at the Plaza. Hum----******-----

The Gift

2011-05-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

"The Gift" gouache painting by Mitzi Linn
Something new for you to look at. The painting is approximately 11 by 14 inches, available for sale.

Welcome Springtime

2011-04-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Bananaleaf Series: First Love--gouache painting by Mitzi Linn
The first of the Bananaleaf Series.

Lately I wake up to morning dreams of being in a lover's arms, embraced in a beautiful intimacy which I have been missing for some time. It's a dream I remind myself, but it feels good and I want to keep dreaming.

As daytime life assembles itself I remember that it too is a dream in which we are moving about, seemingly awake. In my daytime dream I don't wish for the intimate love appearing in my night dream movie but do wish for Love, the divine type, that heals all suffering. I wish that for all.

Adam and Eve Visit Palm Springs: Happy Angel Resort

2011-04-04T13:06:00.001-07:00

Painting by Mitzi Linn

I am posting this painting to cheer us all as winter lingers and spring seems hesitant to arrive. The painting is for sale and is approximately 18 by 15 inches. You can contact me at mitzi_linn@hotmail. com if interested. This is one Adam and Eve painting in a series done over years. They will be teeing off on a golf course somewhere nearby. I lived in Palm Springs for a couple months in 1998 where I did this painting.

Looking to Higher Ground

2011-03-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

I offer this beautiful photo of Mt Everest to all who are suffering everywhere on the planet today. May all beings be free of suffering. May you and I and everyone find genuine happiness in our lives.

La Cumbia del Mole by Lila Downs with Artwork by Mitzi Linn

2011-03-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

Paintings in the video are by me, Mitzi, Kate Corbett and Rudolfo Morales. I met Kate and Rudolfo in Oaxaca. Kate's work-- 2 water colors-- realistic chilis/onions in dishes on a table, and a red table with lily in green pottery pitcher. Rudolfo's painting is a red city scene with feminine figures. All other paintings or collages are by Mitzi Linn

Photos of Reyna (Zapotec chef) from article about Reyna in Mija Chronicles (blog)Photos of Lila Downs from various sources, photo with Tito Mendoza from El Nahual gallery. Other photos from my own collection and postcards include folk art, textiles and dancers.

Lila gave me permission to use her music when I saw her in Oaxaca.

Following the Feathered Serpent

2011-02-26T17:53:00.001-08:00

Feathered Serpent climbs the Tree of Life: Daystars
Painting by Mitzi Linn

20 years ago, about this time of the year, and after studying the myth of Quetzalcoatl for some time, I journeyed to Teotihuacan to sit at his pyramid. A few weeks later, after being at Palenque, we stopped at Tonina which was still being excavated. Our guide, the caretaker there, showed us around. They had pretty much dug out the 7 level pyramid. On one level we found Quetzalcoatl's (Kulkulcan) temple and remains of blue paint on the carving of a feathered serpent on a door lintel.

After that I did a series of paintings about the Feathered Serpent. I finally had something I wanted to say in images. That set me on a new path and transformed my life.

Painting by Christel Becker

2011-02-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

I have always loved this painting by Christel of the Chamula area outside San Cristobal de Las Casas. I saw her at Kiki's house last time I was there. Now she designs gardens and sees that they are created for others. We should have known from these paintings that gardening is her biggest passion.

Celebrating My Birthday (again)

2011-01-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

Here's an old foto of me with my great uncle Leonard back in the late 1940's. He and I were close. In this outing we were somewhere in Indianapolis gadding about. I missed him after we moved away a couple years later. Thanks dear uncle Leonard for your love back then.....

Happy New Year from Buddhas Garden

2010-11-18T09:25:00.001-08:00

Here's an old photo from the Buddha statue garden at Tashi Choling outside Ashland looking out from the gate which is open. By this I want to say I hope all your gates are open and you are free to pursue your life in a positive way and one that also benefits others. We all want peace and justice and well being.
I am content that I chose Buddhism about 30 years ago....It is a path with heart and with the potential to liberate us.

Church in Oaxaca Valley

2010-11-18T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is the church at Tlacochauaya......near Teotitlan.

In Oaxaca every morning at 7 am the local church.....Carmen Alta......rings its bells.......That church probably sits on an old site from before the Conquest where the locals celebrated the Guelaguetza in honor of the corn goddess. I read that in the Oaxaca newspaper a few years ago. A guelaguetza is a giveway and fiesta made by everyone co-operating.

In Teotitlan it is the way to have a great fiesta, like a wedding, where everyone pays back others what they previously received from them. Lists are compiled.....you got 4 turkeys, you now give 4 turkeys.......you received 100 handmade tlayudas, you now bring your metate and mano and the dough and make 100 tlayudas at your compadre's or relative's wedding.... They provided 10 boxes of cervezas for your 7 day wedding, and you will return the favor. A beautiful custom.

Soon to fly out of this querida place. I am so thankful Oaxaca is part of my life.

Guadelupe the Corn Dancer

2010-11-18T08:29:00.001-08:00

Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn
Guadelupe is dancing the corn ears....mazorca....recently harvested here in the Oaxaca valley. Just the other day Tito´s family in Teotitlan went to their fields to bring in corn, which will be dried and then used to make tortillas and tlayudas for their meals. His sister Reina is giving cooking classes at their family home in Teotitlan now after working with other chefs. I hope she will make me some mole negro to bring back.
Pilgrims scurry about too, arriving with fireworks to celebrate the day of the Virgin of Guadelupe on Sunday. My painting is part of a series of Guadelupes dancing, ie making sacred, various things--here, the corn.
Today is the Virgin of Juquila´s day.....before becoming catholic, ie before the conquest, both were goddesses of the indigenous people here. Juquila specifically comes from Oaxaca.

Yesterday I said hello to Quetzalcoatl (the feathered serpent).......who is still seen near or in the church (and prehispanic temple) in Teotitlan--hidden in a figure of the Christ....One of Q.´s aspects is creativity...Ojala me ayuda!

Mexico Mix

2010-11-18T08:20:00.001-08:00

A collage of Mitzi's images.......
I am heading for Oaxaca in a couple weeks. Looking forward to seeing all my friends/families there and eating at my favorite restaurants--La Olla and La Bisnaga and El Descanso......and seeing...feeling....tasting....knowing that beautiful old place again. Hoping to renew myself on many levels......Saludos a mi querida Oaxaca.....

Frida's Bouquet

2010-11-07T08:55:00.001-08:00

Collage by Mitzi Linn
Here's a collage of my images and of Frida's I put together a few years ago.

Honoring friends and family for Day of the Dead

2010-10-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

We, Edmundo Montano family and I, decorated the grave of Karen Turtle for Todos Santos in 1992. Karen died in Oaxaca during Semana Santa in 1992. Her ashes were buried in the cemetery of Teotitlan Del Valle after a ceremony hosted by the Montano's and attended by people of the folkarte communities of Oaxaca. Karen had many friends and she is still missed.

2010-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

"Our Planet Earth" a new painting by Mitzi Linn
Our Children's Trust will use a similar image. Stay tuned for more info.
Happy Equinox, Full Moon and Fall!

Butterfly Canyon

2010-08-09T12:40:00.000-07:00

Butterfly Canyon--Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

This painting was inspired by a visit to a sacred waterfall near Juquila, Oaxaca. The water was sacred to the prehispanic Zapotec goddess who preceded the Catholic virgin .....The Virgin of Juquila. She is the focus of much adoration among Oaxacans still.

Guatemalan Textile and a Poem

2010-07-19T17:18:00.000-07:00

Photo of part of weaving from San Juan Cotzal, K'iche', Guatemala.

View From My 50’S

Contemplating the journey ahead
I can only remember past ones,
across open spaces,
journeys that cleansed this being
of Doubt and Fear.

I can only go how and where
My heart directs me.
I continue,
With intense aloneness,
Looking at each horizon
as a possible home.
The same way I stare in lighted windows as
I pass along this street.

The journey to the Light is
the same as the one home.
The going is a becoming.
I seek wisdom and compassion,
a total healing of my myriad selves.

Still, in awe of the Spirit’s pull,
I know Death cannot free me
of this longing to go beyond...........

Through lifetimes of learning and letting go,

karmic debts will be paid.

Wise, compassionate, empty,
I will be free at last.

1997 copyright Mitzi Linn

Womantrees Dancing to Perfume de Gardenias.

2010-06-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

2010-06-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's another video of paintings set to music by Lila Downs. Womantrees Dancing is a spiritual feminist series that features the concept of women as the Tree of Life, a universal symbol and motif. They dance with the wind, the rain, with experience and to celebrate. As trees their roots go deep in the earth. Faceless, they refer to their archetypal identity. All paintings copyright Mitzi Linn

Slideshow "La Bamba" by Lila Downs... Oaxacan Inspired Paintings by Mitzi Linn

2010-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Here's my first attempt at a slideshow with music. I had to put it on YouTube in order to put it on my blog. I know Lila Downs and her partner, Paul Cohen, from the '90's in Oaxaca. They are really good people as well as really talented and creative musicians. A gozar!

How Can We Know the Dancer from the Dance?

2010-05-08T14:14:00.000-07:00

Womantrees Dancing--Spring--- Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

Labour is blossoming or dancing where
The body is not bruised to pleasure soul,
Nor beauty born out of its own despair,
Nor blear-eyed wisdom out of midnight oil.
O chestnut-tree, great-rooted blossomer,
Are you the leaf, the blossom or the bole?
O body swayed to music, O brightening glance,
How can we know the dancer from the dance?

from "Among School Children" by W. B. Yeats

Dreaming New Mexico

2010-04-12T08:49:00.001-07:00

Dreaming New Mexico--Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn
To dream something is to imagine something. I am imagining being in Northern New Mexico right now. Imagining another journey there is the first step--'the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step'-- LaoTze--Tao de Ching

Ghost Ranch

2010-04-01T11:07:00.000-07:00

Dark Horse Night--gouache painting by Mitzi Linn--inspired by time spent in New Mexico.

The Ghost Ranch outside Abiquiu NM is one of my favorite places. It is beautiful. They have a campground, a laundry, a library, rooms for rent, and a cafeteria. They host various workshops over the summer. Hiking and horseback riding are great ways to explore their land of enchantment. Here's a link to Ghost Ranch--one of Georgia O'Keefe's favorite places. You can walk to the house she owned there--where she lived and painted.
www.ghostranch.org

Navajo Account of American Conquest

2010-03-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Photo by George Huey

I saw this account of the American war against the Navajo in Canyon de Muertos. Named for the massacre and defeat of the Navajo in this part of Canyon de Chelly, their sacred homeland.

Postcard from Canyon de Chelly

2010-03-14T16:37:00.000-07:00

Photo by Russ Finley

I find myself wanting to travel again now that spring is arriving. Canyon de Chelly on the Navajo Reservation is one of my favorite places. Standing on the rim and looking down, the Canyon called me to explore it on horseback and on foot during my first visit to Chinle. Here's an edited poem inspired by the visit.....
Blue Horse Sequence
i
Coral-colored rocks.
Chalk-white sands, The
infinite blue sky rising from
distant black mesas.
I glimpse a mirage,
A blue shimmer,a dazzle or
a wild wandering spirit....The blue horse.
ii
The Blue Horse
speaks a secret tongue, wanders in Beauty
outside time, before, beyond
Blue horses merge in blue winds.
They raise their heads against
Chinle’s frozen winter stars.
I ride the Blue Horse Spirit. We,
kindred spirits in transformation,
Beauty behind us. Beauty in front.
Surrender to Beauty.
In Beauty
It is done.

The Bananaleaf Series

2010-03-05T09:53:00.000-08:00

Painting: BLS: Wild Horses--gouache by Mitzi Linn

A painting for all my sisters. Celebrating the spiritual nature of women for International Women's Day. Sisterhood is powerful. Let's honor our beautiful feminine planet and her creations.

The Oasis Series

2010-02-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

"Oasis #5" gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

I look towards spring from my window above the park. This painting series was created in Oaxaca. The tall rocks represent spirits of the natural world. They are also spirit guides--connected to our universal ancestors as well as enlightened beings existing in the spiritual world.

On a waterway, a boat sails by. At the bottom of the spirit stones, grow many tropical type plants. The sky is sunset red. The boat holds our hopes and dreams as we sail into the unknown.

Welcome to Mitzi's Studio

2010-01-23T13:10:00.000-08:00

My apartment in Eugene's tallest building is tiny. I imagine it to be like a New York apartment, with all available spaces to be used. Here's part of my collection of things from living in Oaxaca off and on for 20 plus years, as well as various paintings made over those same years. In the photo you can see a Tree of Life candle made in Teotitlan, at the top on the right. They are usually found in the church there and are given to the family of the bride-to-be in a beautiful ceremony called "Contentar" The paintings are some of my favorites which I have kept over the years.
A closer view of part of the art wall including a painted chair from Margarito Melchor of San Martin Tilcajete, Oaxaca. Two jicapetzles sit on the bottom shelf. After being a nomad and housesitter over the years, I am pleased to surround myself with things I like from my travels.
.

Friends from Teotitlan

2010-01-20T19:26:00.000-08:00

Gi'bets--Teotitlan's sacred mountain
Bryan (American) with Ale Rios and Tito Mendoza in Teotitlan on Todos Santos (photo by Liv)
Dinner on Todos Santos with Tito, Abi, Ale, Liv and Mitzi (photo by Bryan)

Tito & Lili & Santi by their house altar on Todos Santos (the Day of the Dead)

Tito's parents--Felix and Antonia with their Day of the Dead altar on Todos Santos.

Below--My old friend Altagracia (on right) with Soledad and Maria (her daughters-in-law) and her grandaughter Mayto. They were cooking for a group at the Danza de la Pluma. Alta is famous for her traditional barbacoa.

La Danza de La Pluma-- For the Virgin of Guadelupe

2010-01-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Linda, the Dancer, with her grandmother. Then a foto of her parents Lichita and Ismael at their home with their jicapetzles before going to the dance in front of the church in Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca

La Danza de La Pluma

2009-10-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

Dancers dancing in the plaza in front of the church in Teotitlan

Closer view of dancers.
Linda's (la malinche) family and support group with beer and fruit to give away at the dance.

The Danza de la Pluma in Teotitlan for the Virgin of
Guadelupe started with a 6:30 AM mass for the Dancers and their families in Teotitlan's beautiful church on December 12. After weeks of preparation the Dancers themselves appeared in the streets around 2:30. They and their extended families went to the church yard where a dance space had been created. Seating around the area went to the support groups, women in the front rows and men in the back rows. All five sections of Teotitlan were represented by one or more dancers. The Danza de la Pluma started at 3 PM in the afternoon. They danced for about 5 hours with very few breaks, dancing in their costumes with tall, round feathered headdresses, scarves and Virgin of Guadelupe capes. I was there to support Linda, Lichita and Ismael's 10 year old daughter, who danced one of the 2 Malinches. She danced the Native part. The other Malinche is dressed in a 16th century Spanish costume. The Danzantes finished their 3 year commitment to this Dance. It seemed somewhat emotional, being the end of their commitment. They are featured in a film on sale at the Museum in Teotitlan, made by some film makers from Santa Fe who filmed them 3 years ago, at the beginning of the cycle. I was there then too as a part of Linda's family.

After the Plumed Dancers finished dancing, their wives and mothers and fathers danced the Jarabe del Valle with jicapetxles filled with various candies..some are made in molds in Teotitlan-- white with red flowers on sticks. After these dances the five groups danced other jicapetxles and threw out sweets and fruit to the growing pueblo audience. Various parts of the ceremony took place with people dancing in a previously decided order called by a master of ceremonies.

The family I was with finally danced at 4:30 AM. Around midnight I slipped away after seeing various other friends in the church yard. At 4:30 AM I was sound asleep at Tito and Ale´s little adobe house on the edge of town. Reina and Piti Mendoza--Tito´s sisters gave me atole and tamales. That family was there to support another dancer.

Last night( Dec 29) the Teotitecas brought their beautiful costumbres (customs) to the Oaxaca Zocalo. I met up with my friends from there and other places to watch them make a calenda (religious parade) around the Zocalo and then dance--the Danza de la Pluma and the Jarabe del Valle again. The Danza de la Pluma group was the same that had just completed their 3 year term. It was wonderful to see them one more time. Linda danced well. Afterwards the Dancers were being photographed with friends and tourists in their costumes. They were the stars.

I was grinning ear to ear through the whole thing. Finally my friend Alicia (Linda's grandmother) and I were dancing the Jarabe together with others as the dance became public.

El Dia de la Revolucion (post Nov 11)

2009-10-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

Mexico I, 1995--gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

This painting is in recognition of the Zapatista uprising on Jan 1 1994. I was in Oaxaca about to go to San Cristobal, Chiapas to see friends. Well, I couldn´t go, as the government of Mexico was bombing the mountains around San Cristobal and the Pan American Highway was closed. I went a year later. Today in Oaxaca there is a big demonstration by the teachers, the Popular Assembly and many others against the policies of the state and federal government. This goes along with the annual celebration of the 1910 revolution in Mexico.

Still, since the violence of 2006 when Federal and State troops attacked peaceful demonstrations by the teachers and others, the most recent uprisings are not distant, romantic history. In the painting an indigenous woman from Chiapas is looking out, wondering what will happen in Mexico in her lifetime. Perhaps she is one of the Zapatistas or one of the many indigenous pueblo people looking to regain power that the Spanish took 500 years ago. Vamos a ver!

My visit to San Cristobal de las Casas ( post Nov 20)

2009-10-21T09:27:00.000-07:00

Kiki and Gabriel Suarez, in front of their gallery and restaurant
San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, has changed substantially since my last visit in 2000. There are pedestrian streets which are used by everyone. Buildings in el centro too are painted bright colors giving it a festive feeling. I lucked out and had 4 days of sunshine and though I didn´t make it out to Chamula because I also had a cold, I did walk the back streets some too, with Kiki on her way to her therapy office. I was so happy to be with her again. She and Gabriel and family are doing well with their various galeries, restaurants etc. You can check out Kiki´s work at www.kikitheartist.com. Gabriel too is a really fine wildlife photographer. Check out his stunning photos www.gabrielsuarezphoto.com
Kiki was diagnosed last year with an eye disease that reduces her sight to tunnel vision. Still she continues painting, photographing, writing and all her other myriad of activities.

Oaxaca for the Day of the Dead

2009-10-17T07:58:00.001-07:00

I made this little painting in response to seeing a woman from the Istmus of Tehuantepec selling sugar figures of Tehuanas for transplanted Istmenos' altars at the local market. The vendor indicated that the figures were only for sale to people from the Istmus. The female figure here is in full costume of the Tehuanas with their beautiful embroideried blouses and skirts.
I called it "Frida and Diego Return" since Frida often dressed in Tehuana blouses. I could imagine them posing in this traditional manner, man standing with his hand on the seated woman's shoulder. Behind the figures is a house altar complete with marigold petals making a path for the departed from the cemetery to the home.

Welcoming the Dead in Oaxaca

2009-10-14T07:36:00.000-07:00

"Musicos del Campo Santo" (The Grateful Dead??) bring the departed ones out of the cemetery and into our lives every November 1 and 2.

Combining both the US and Mexican culture you might notice Jerry Garcia's tombstone and the Dead on top of "Further", the Merry Pranksters old bus.
I made this painting the year Jerry Garcia died.
"Amor Sin Palabras", the bus ran from Teotitlan to Oaxaca. This combination magical bus is tearing out of the graveyard full of musicians tombs. A nod here to my roots as a hippy dancing to the Dead at the Fillmore West before they were famous. Later, going to Mexico, and spending hours riding on "Amor Sin Palabras." (Love without words)--exactly my feelings those first years discovering myself and Oaxaca.

These paintings represent the party aspect of the Day of the Dead. The holy days celebrate several different things. One aspect is honoring and connecting with the ancestors, or the family members who have gone on. Families gather to eat and drink and party-- either in the cemetery or in the home, or both. The living commune with the departed. It is also a harvest fiesta with altars loaded with food, flowers and drinks. And a link to Hallowmas, the old European pagan holy day on Oct 31.

Some people go out to party and celebrate in public with friends. Going out usually includes dancing so we have some images of dancers. The first is a self portrait called "She returns to Rhumba" a nod to my nights at El Sol y La Luna, La Candela, y mas when I happily danced to Cuban music.

The next is a collage called "Frida's Salsa" a word play here on the dance and the sauce. The dancing skeletons are from the Spanish tradition, not the Native American tradition. 'Calacas' or skeletons have been used in political art also, criticizing the local politicians, or national ones. They are playful, making fun of what many people see as something serious--life and death.

Celebrating the Day of the Dead in Teotitlan del Valle

2009-10-12T11:33:00.000-07:00

The Montano family gathers on the Day of the Dead. In this older photo various members hang out with their compadres from Mexico City. They decorated their restaurant El Descanso for Halloween that year.

On November 1 various tasks must be accomplished before nightfall. Clean the house, make a house altar and foods such as tamales. Part of the family goes to the "campo santo" (cemetery) to clean and decorate the graves. In this photo flowers, candles, food etc were loaded in the back of their pick up, along with Troy the dog, to go to the "panteon" to visit the dead. The departed souls are invited to return to their old homes when the church bell rings at 3 pm. I went to clean and decorate Karen Turtle's tiny grave and invite her to return too.

Karen(an American) was like a family member of the Montanos, and a very close friend of mine. She died unexpectedly in 1992. After her funeral and cremation in Oaxaca, Edmundo got permission to bury her ashes in this Zapotec pueblo. Karen always wanted to live in one of these pueblos and had longtime friendships in Teotitlan, San Martin Tilcajete, and Arrasola. All her friends from these towns wanted her ashes for their town panteon.

I enjoyed decorating Karen's grave for a number of years. The Montanos also consider me one of their family members so spending the Day of the Dead with them has been a great pleasure. Once, Fidel and Mari and I went to the local mill to have the cacao beans, cinnamon and all ground together into chocolate after cleaning the house. Here is a photo of Karen's grave in 1992. I loved being able to make her little tomb a work of art.

A few years ago another person was buried in the same plot. The cross with her name is still there too, behind the new tomb. The man buried there was a close friend of hers and the plot probably belonged to his family when she borrowed the tomb. Teotitecas are practical people.

In this photo Alicia's mother Viviana is cleaning the family plot. Since the photo was taken, Viviana joined the family members resting in this beautiful sacred ground.

As evening arrives the family gathers in their living room in front of the house altar. Here various members wait to greet visitors who come and go thoughout the night. Teotitecas don't go to the graveyard for the night.

One of the first couples to visit stand in front of the altar, having lit a large white candle, and put their offerings of bread and chocolate on the altar. They make a prayer in Zapotec. They came in, made the ceremonial handshake with everyone in line in the previous photo, saying "Shaa". After their prayers, Edmundo welcomed them and they took seats at the long table, men on one side, and women on the other. Then Edmundo started serving shots of mescal, beers, and soft drinks. The party had begun.

Conversations often take place in Zapotec but I enjoy just being present. Later, this couple will be given fruit, bread and chocolate before they leave for another compadres home.

Salud!

House Altar for Day of the Dead

2009-10-11T10:55:00.000-07:00

Emilia Arroyo took this photo of me standing next to her beautiful home altar during my stay there in 1994.

The Virgin of Guadelupe Appears for Day of the Dead

2009-10-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

painting---copyright Mitzi Linn

In this Day of the Dead painting the Virgin reappears in a corn field where the unseen shaman/farmer is making a ceremony. A small pre hispanic diety is on the right, an incenser and candles on the left. The Virgin is encased in a grain of corn pollen and holding the Earth in her hands.

Day of the Dead Public Altars

2009-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's an altar I created with Vicky Ayers who I met while living in Oaxaca years ago. This altar honors migrant workers who died working in our fields and crossing the border between the US and Mexico. It is also dedicated to Cesar Chavez. On the right is a detail of the lower part of the altar. It was installed at Due Fine Arts in 1997 in conjunction with the annual show at Maude Kerns Gallery in Eugene, Oregon.
Below is an altar I created at Maude Kerns for the Day of Dead show in 2003. It is called "Pensando en La Muerte " and is dedicated to Oaxaca

Free to Sail Away

2009-10-05T11:57:00.001-07:00

"Oasis (Number 1 )"--gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

My Boat

My boat,
the guru,
pointing towards a shore
I can only trust is there.
Glimpsing it rarely from this
Samsaric daydream
of conflicted thoughts
and feelings.

My boat,
the guru,
pure awareness
clear energy
empty of all desire
and remorse
free to sail
with no shore in sight.

copyright, Mitzi Linn

Past Autumn Equinox

2009-10-01T13:40:00.000-07:00

Photo taken at the Ghost Ranch, near Abiquiu, NM

Observation

Sunlight glitters through spider webs,
glistens in buzzing wings of insects,
glimmers in bird wings rising.

A breeze quakes the golden aspen tree.
The suchness of an autumn evening.

Shadows of winter cross my mind.
The dark, the damp, the cold.....

Meanwhile a shimmering light
occupies my eyes.

copyright Mitzi Linn

Homage to Tara the Goddess

2009-09-01T12:17:00.000-07:00

Taras Reclining gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

I was thinking about the huge reclining Buddhas carved from stone lying on their sides that are being excavated in Afganistan. (Related in size and history to the ones destroyed by the Taliban at Bamiyan)
That inspired this painting. The flowers are descending from the sky and the flowering mountain. (thanks to Martin Prechtel for the flowering mountain idea) The flowers refer to the white flowers that appear on Cazahuate trees all over the Oaxaca Valley at the end of the rainy season. Also they refer to the "Shower of Blessings", the results of a successful practice of a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony.

Tara Drawing by unknown artist

Like an old best friend Tara appears to guide and care for her devotees. Goddess of compassion, protector, saviour, and healer among other things. Tara is worshiped by Tibetan Buddhists and Hindus. She was/is also a Celtic goddess. I am most familiar with the Tibetan Tara, in her most common White, Green and Red embodiments. One mantra I use is "Om Tare Tam So Ha".

Photographer Marcey Jacobsen 19ll-2009 (Homage)

2009-07-31T08:24:00.001-07:00

Friends Marcey Jacobsen (left) and Kiki Suarez (right) at Hotel Casa Mexicana in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico. Taken during my last visit some years ago after lunch together. Remembering and honoring Marcey today and my two friends.

Photo by Marcey Jacobsen from the street outside her house and garden in San Cristobal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico.

Marcey passed over on July 26, 2009. It was a privilege to know her.

You can find her photos of life in the highlands of Chiapas in her book called The Burden of Time published by Stanford University Press. I believe she lived in San Cristobal for at least 50 years, spending time in New York to earn money to support her life and photography.

She gave me this print and another as a reward for getting some developing trays to her during the early 90's. I put the large stainless steel trays in my suitcases to Oaxaca. A man I met in Oaxaca took them to Marcey in San Cristobal

link to nytimes blog with Marcey's photos and more information http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/parting

Mitzi Linn's Annual Studio Sale

2009-07-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting "Adam and Eve visit the Happy Angel Resort" copyright Mitzi Linn

Gouache Painting: " Womantrees Dancing: Divas" copyright Mitzi Linn

Gouache Painting "Oaxaca II--2004" copyright Mitzi Linn

Gouache Painting "Oaxacascape: Fiery Sunset" copyright Mitzi Linn

These paintings can be seen at my studio sale in Eugene, Oregon. Please email me at mitzi_linn@yahoo.com if you'd like more information about the sale or the paintings. Enjoy!

Deer

2009-06-29T08:19:00.001-07:00

Gouache Painting--Waterwoman visits Sonoma

Deer (excerpt from longer poem)

I have become enamored with deer.
They cross the yard, eating willow leaves
and ground covers. The doe has shown her baby
once, awkwardly standing in the neighbors’
yard with them sitting in plastic white chairs.
The neighbors made no moves.
The old woman talked kindly while
throwing the doe apples. These neighbors fenced
a garden on the deers’ route. The sign
on the gate says “The Buck Stops Here”,

At Sugarloaf Park, in Sonoma, this spring,
I had an eight deer morning.
They graced my isolated campsite.
Only ears and antlers told of their presence
in tall grasses climbing above their shoulders,
green turning golden by early June.
I lay watching their private showing.
I loved them as much as I loved the trail horses
penned at the barn. I smiled at
does teaching their fawns to eat baled hay,
stacked behind the corral.

Loving deer brings joy and sorrow.
They are so quiet, graceful, beautiful......
Those lasting glimpses.
I struggle to accept their suffering, against which
Their grace and beauty offer no shield.

The part of me they speak to is the
One that never wants wilderness to end,
the One who never wants to have to grow up
and fit into the real world. The One
who always wants to disappear into the
shadows of the bay laurel
or backyard weeping-willow.
To be able to forage off the land,
Never be fenced in or out.
And live in perpetual summer.

1997

At a potluck with friends last night Tina reminded me of the painting above. This summer housesitting again where the deer cross the yard daily, and having spent years seeing new fawns, the doe in the poem is at least the grandmother of the current ones that I see leading their tiny fawns through the break in the fence towards Gig and Ken's house where they lounge in the shade.

The Bananaleaf Series

2009-06-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Gouache Painting The Bananaleaf Series: Magic Evening

This series started in the spring of 1993 in Oaxaca. Within the tropical landscape, inspired by the Oaxaca coast scenery, you find two faceless women.....to say that human beings are part of the earth herself. In other paintings in the series, the bodies are less discernible as female. Still, I value the feminine and the spiritual feminine and the rebirth of that energy in the last 40 + years. We need the nurturing of our Mother Earth and the point of view of feminism and deep ecology.

The Blue Dakini

2009-06-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting "The Blue Dakini" 1991

For the Yogi

The Dakini danced before his very eyes.
She danced inside him.
He became warm, then hot,
with a kind of passion,
Burning
to possess her
to dance with her
to connect with her
to make love to her.

The only way was to dance,
to become one with her
never-faltering energy.

Then, it was easy to let go
to not want
to not have to have
to not need.

Just be

Easter 1991, Oaxaca
From Chapbook "We put our bones together"

From the Plaza (Gouache Painting)

2009-05-24T10:50:00.000-07:00

The first image is my painting, evoking a grand old church, of which there are many in downtown Oaxaca. This one may be in some pueblo in the valley with the magical blue horse hanging out near an anthropomorphic urn with calla lillies. Actually, Templo Santo Domingo was the inspiration for this painting and others in the small group.

The second image (a postcard) is of dancers on the plaza in front of Templo Santo Domingo performing the Dance of the Pineapple. This dance comes from the tropical area of the state of Oaxaca around Tuxtepec. The beautiful young women wear huipiles (handwoven dresses) representing that area. This dance seems to represent young women's puberty dance--presenting themselves to the pueblo (people). The pineapple is the perfect symbol of the matriz.

Dancers gather to celebrate many things in downtown Oaxaca--sometimes for a public show and sometimes for private events, like marriages at Santo Domingo. Oaxaquenos enjoy the colorful folklorico presentations complete with traditional live music from local bands. It is common to see a group of young people practicing dances in El Llano Park. I love the dances, so energetic, sensual, entertaining, vibrant!

La Alma de Oaxaca

2009-05-17T12:47:00.000-07:00

Gouache Painting by Mitzi Linn "Oaxacascape: City Street"

I love the old adobe and green stone (cantara) architecture of Oaxaca's "El Centro". Living near Santo Domingo in 1988/89, and walking daily through the zocalo on my way to the market, I could see the natural hills and mountains surrounding the small city. I never thought of it as a "colonial city" though Cortes himself built a house there and one time I housesat one of the oldest houses in Oaxaca.

Oaxaca has grown dramatically since 1995. It is a world class tourist destination, named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in the 1990's. Many of the old buildings have been restored and some are now museums and libraries, as well as cultural centers. Pedestrian streets opened up. Now it is a "colonial city" in tourist brochures.

People from all over Mexico moved to Oaxaca too, increasing the local population in the valley to a million (or more) people. When I started living part time in Oaxaca in the late 80's, the population was under 200,000 in the valley. Then there were hardly any cars on the streets because credit to buy them was not available. Walking in the city was an intense pleasure. The blooming trees, the quiet neighborhoods.......

A small community of artists, musicians and creative types found each other at El Sol y La Luna restraurant for good food and drink, art exhibits and live music. Then we moved on to La Candela and Los Guajiros to dance to Cuban music. We met at art openings at La Mano Magica and Arte de Oaxaca. I felt a welcome part of this Oaxacan and international scene. It encouraged me to become an artist--the midlife choice that gave me a renewed appreciation of culture and creative expression.

Floral Textiles from Oaxaca

2009-05-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

I am posting some examples of Oaxacan embroidery from a textile show several years ago in Oaxaca city. Now there is a textile museum which preserves the beautiful works of women and men artisans. An offering for springing into summer.

Monte Alban--Sacred Ceremonial City

2009-05-03T16:46:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting--Oaxacascape: Mercado below, Monte Alban above

Influenced by the Olmecs, the Zapotecs built Monte Alban(Danibaan in Zapotec) on a mountaintop near what is now the city of Oaxaca. Construction began in 500 BC. The site was abandoned around 800 AD. Monte Alban functioned as an inhabited sacred space for over 1000 years, at least 1500 years before the Aztecs came to power in 1200 AD in central Mexico. According to Marcus Winter, an INAH archaeologist who helped excavate it, Monte Alban was one of the first ceremonial cities built by any culture in Mesoamerica. The top of the mountain was leveled and pyramidal bases with temples on top were constructed on an immense flat plaza. They flattened the mountain top without draft animals, wheels or slaves-- an act of devotion to their pantheon of deities. From Oaxaca city you can look up and see the tree and stone walls of the North Temple Complex miles away.

Although Monte Alban wasn’t "discovered" by outsiders until the 20th century, the locals continued to use it as a ceremonial place after its abandonment between the 9th-11th century. Shamans, priests,kings, midwifes and commoners climbed the sacred mountain to make prayers and rituals on top of earth covered pyramids which looked like mounds. So, Monte Alban, while abandoned as a public ceremonial center, continued to be used as a revered, sacred space.

Linda Schele (The Mayan Cosmos) said that the Mayans destroyed their pyramids on purpose and covered them with earth when they abandoned their cities around 800 AD. It was their way of “closing” down these sacred, energy centers. I assume the Zapotecs did the same. Local farmers started planting corn in the old plazas. Danibaan seemed to return to nature. Hernando Cortez and his soldiers never saw the old city on the mountaintop.

Going to Oaxaca, where the archaic integrates with the modern, I finally discovered our continent’s ancient, pre-European civilizations. Standing on a pyramidal temple base at Monte Alban in 1982, I remembered the overgrown "Indian" mound I played on as a child in southern Indiana--it too was built around 500 BC. I intuitively understood their connection. It inspired me to dig into the mystery of our old cultures in the Americas.

excerpt from "Mi Querida Oaxaca" an unpublished manuscript by Mitzi Linn

Prehispanic Dance Figure

2009-04-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting "Zapotec Star Figure: the Pleiades"

This painting was inspired by a stone carving I found at a museum in Oaxaca. The carving was the figure with a sun/moon eclipse face on a block of stone. The figure looks like a dancer. I added the thunderbolt symbols to symbolize energy, and spirals representing stars.

A young Zapotec looked at it and told me that the figure represents the Pleiades, a star group really important to Mesoamerican cultures. The Zapotec culture at Oaxaca may have created the first Mesoamerican calendar.

I feel a connection to the Pleiades, that tiny kite formation that travels across the northern winter night sky.

Pleiades Fly Overhead (poem)

As if time itself has meaning
and space lies beyond it.
or, as if the brevity of a single breath
encompasses a moment of
recognition.

Words distract the truth.
Freedom distills moments.
Divine liquor drops onto our
parched tongues.

Whether it is a god of suffering,
a compassionate mother of all beings,
or a flash of colliding angels,

Awestruck, dumb
Grace enters us,
The clear light.

Oaxaca, 1990

(The Pleiades has a 52 year cycle. The Sun, Moon, and Venusian calendars also come together every 52 years. 52 years is the “century” cycle of the old Mesoamerican calendars-- Zapotec, Toltec, Mayan, Aztec etc. A new cycle was celebrated every 52 years. The Pleiades is also tied to the annual agricultural cycles of Mesoamerican and Mediterranean Cultures)

Amor Sin Palabras

2009-04-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Gouache Painting--Oaxacascape : Turtles Rising

Amor Sin Palabras (poem)
(Love Without Words)

1

I am riding the bus called
“Amor Sin Palabras”
from Teotitlan to Oaxaca.
I’m seated alone,
the only guera.

Pueblo querido,
Wrapped in your rebozo
of loving-kindness,
Carrying your precious tlayudas,
Washed in the gold of sunset,
Delighted with the afternoon’s visit,
Full of gratitude for your friendships.
I ride in bliss,
Amor sin palabras.

2

You, shining as we see each other,
Talk with our hearts’ eyes,
Directly,
Without fear or games.

copyright Mitzi Linn 2009

I always like the way buses are named in Mexico.
"Amor Sin Palabras" and another bus called "Amor de Unas Horas’"or
‘Love of a Few Hours’ ran between Oaxaca city and Teotitlan Del Valle
during the 1990's. The names came from titles of Columbian music hits,
the driver informed me. It was those late afternoon, sunset trips back to Oaxaca that inspired the gold/yellow skies that you see in my paintings.

Missing Oaxaca from the far north tonight!

The Feathered (Plumed)Serpent

2009-04-04T16:09:00.000-07:00

Gouache Painting. "The Feathered Serpent Climbs the Tree of Life--Daystars

Serpents, as symbols of wisdom and transformation, have been found in nearly all ancient cultures. Serpent-power refers to the kundalini energy said to lie sleeping at the base of the spine. It rises up the spine (the tree of life) usually through specific meditation practices or dance. The rising of the kundalini brings ecstatic awareness and enlightenment. Serpents are often identified with the feminine principle and call up the matriarchal roots of modern, patriarchal culture. In this painting the feathered serpent climbs the tree of life. This could symbolize ecstatic awareness.

In Mexico, the feathered serpent refers to the mythological and historical priest-king called Quetzalcoatl. He was a culture bringer, magician and said to be an enlightened being who was against harming others. At least one king held the title of the "the Quetzalcoatl" and it seems there were other emanations of Quetzalcoatl. It was probably a priesthood. One emanation is said to be buried at Tule, Oaxaca under the 2000 year old "Tule" tree--a tree of life.

Quetzalcoatl (the priest-king) was tricked by his brother, broke a taboo and had to leave his home at Tollan. He and his followers visited many parts of Mexico teaching people crafts, language, spiritual practices, and agriculture. In the Gulf of Mexico near Veracruz he sailed into the unknown and turned into the morning star. He predicted his return to the same place in the year 1 Reed....the year Cortes arrived. Many thought Cortes was Quetzalcoatl. That is why Cortes was welcomed at first.

Once in my travels while visiting Walpi (Hopi Mesa) where the serpent has important ritual significance, I was showing these images to my guide, a young woman. She said there is a Hopi prophecy--"when the feathered serpent climbs the tree of life,......" Before she could finish the statement another guide interrupted our conversation. I suppose it is secret information. I wonder if anyone can finish that sentence.

Aphrodite as the Mermaid

2009-03-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Gouache painting entitled "The New Mermaid"

Poem for Aphrodite

Borne of wind and spray
Lovely Aphrodite
Goddess of Tantra
Bringer of light

You left your freedom for another time
Mother of the Sea, and Eros.
We cannot listen at once
to all you say. Your sounds calm us
They transfix us in this world of
wind and spray.

We left the world of noisy machines
to listen to the insides of shells.
Your secrets reveal us to ourselves
We lie washed up, entangled
in what is and what we dream.

Washed up, about to take wing
You hold our hearts.
You give our spirits wings.

copyright Mitzi Linn, 2009

Womantrees: Spring Exuberance

2009-03-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

This gouache painting expresses the feelings I have seeing plants flowering and springing forth again, another year, another cycle. Let's join these Womentrees in their springtime dance.

Windhorse

2009-03-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

Title: Little Blue Flying Horse by Pop Chalee --Native American artist-- painting on wall of the New Mexico Statehouse

I Ride a Windhorse Across the Sky of Change

An enormous full moon
demands I look up from headlights and
street crossings to acknowledge
our wild beginnings.

I see that our Animal ancestors paused
as they masked themselves as humans,
then stood on two legs to dance together,
no longer recognizable to themselves as Bear, Monkey,
Tiger, Coyote, Turtle, Deer, Snake, Horse, Bird......

They made an evolutionary leap of faith,
Were not able to take off their disguises,
nor return to walking on four legs or flying.

They are mourning their choice, their loss of
connection to the high, dry wild and wetland, forests,
no longer part of their lives.

They relate their stories to each other while dancing,
never stopping to remove their too human faces.
Perhaps the Creator no longer recognizes them,
as they no longer recognize themselves.

Now they dream of liberation through technology,
to move into outer space star worlds,
liberated from their earth animal nature,
encapsuled weightless in a spaceship box,
looking from control panels
into the blackness of passing stars.

The dance goes on and on.
Molecules freeze into passages of unwritten books.
We will only read the lines much later when
the remains of this civilization, this story,
lie buried beneath ash and earth.

Then, as before,
At the openings of dark earth tunnels,
under cliff outcroppings, shelters, past and future,
homecomers from that outer spacebox
will put on animal masks,
pick up the drum and dance Bear, Monkey, Snake
Bird, Coyote, Tiger, Deer, Horse
back from oblivion.

copyright Mitzi Linn, 1997

Coyote Woman's Passion

2009-03-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

Gouache Painting: Pause in the Journey

"Follow the path your heart takes" was the advice given to Carlos Castaneda by Don Juan in The Teachings of Don Juan.

Coyote Woman and her contemporaries read the book while ingesting hallucinogenic substances. They followed Don Juan's advice and started journeys of self discovery, rejecting the materialist environment of the mainstream culture 40 plus years ago.

They created a counter culture within America--based on spiritual values of integrating heart, mind and spirit. Their search continues to experience transcendence within a grounded ideal of community and caring for others.

When you follow your hearts' path, your life will be full of a passion for living, for being awake and making everyday an enlightening journey of awareness, energy and love (compassion). Transcendence is the ultimate goal behind any passion, the source of all creativity.

Tibetan New Year

2009-02-22T11:56:00.000-08:00

Here's an old photo of Venerable Gyaltrul, Rinpoche initiating Kyote--Coyote Woman's longtime dog friend.
Rinpoche once mentioned that Kyote would be reborn as a human being--someone I would know.

It is Tibetan New Year, Losar, on Feb 25.
May all beings be free of suffering!
May all beings be happy--have the causes of happiness!
May the Tibetans be free to practice their religion and culture in Tibet without repression.

Coyote Women Meet in the Zocalo

2009-02-16T10:59:00.000-08:00

Painted in Oaxaca in 1993 for El Dia de los Muertos

It's afternoon, the Coyote Women gossip with the Feathered Serpent under a tree in the main square. What could they be talking about? Perhaps the up-coming Mardi Gras comparsa and fiesta that precedes Lent. But then again they could be laughing about their latest adventures or who they are meeting at Bar Jardin later. I can only speculate!

Coyote Womans bouquet for Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a little present for El Dia del Amor,
In Mexico, we celebrate all kinds of love,
not just romantic love. It is love that heals us.

The painting is of calla lillies in an ancient
anthropomorphic vase, like those found in
tombs of ancient Zapotecs.

Coyote Woman's Counsel

2009-02-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

Coyote Woman Reviews her first 50 Years. Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

Coyote Woman's Counsel

2009-02-12T18:29:00.000-08:00

Coyote Woman Visits Abiqui, New Mexico--Gouache painting by Mitzi Linn

Coyote Woman said I could go out and pluck the moon from the sky.
She then told me to hold it in my palm and make a wish.

Like a pure crystal ball, I offered it to the Universe and
wished to have a free spirit, a loving heart and an adventurous life.

She said I should share it with other beings.